Thanks for stopping by and joining us for theHandmade Ornament SeriesThis week we are sharing last minute ornament ideas for the season
I’m pleased to welcome our next guest,Bethany from Pitter & Glink
{Handmade Christmas Ornament No. 11}

I am so excited to be visiting Under the Table and Dreaming today! I want to share with you how to make a Hot Glue Snowflake Ornament.

Supplies:

Glue Sticks

Hot Glue Gun

Wax Paper

Dish Detergent

Ornament Template

Glitter (My FAVORITE supply!)

Mod Podge

Small Paint Brush

String or Wire

Step One:

Google an image you would like to use for your ornament. An image with simple lines that all connect works best. I googled snowflake images and found a nice one to use. Print your image the size you want your ornament to be. (Make sure you don’t print a tiny image because you will end up with a blob of hot glue that will look nothing like an ornament.) Get your glue gun, glue sticks, and wax paper ready.

Step Two:

Place a sheet of wax paper over your ornament template. Cover the wax paper with dish detergent. Mix a little water with the detergent to make it spread easily. Then simply trace your image with hot glue. I have found that using a continuous stream of glue with even pressure for each line works best. This is what it will look like when finished.

Step Three:

When the ornament is dry, peel it from the wax paper. If some of the paper sticks to the back, just run the ornament under cold water and peel off the excess paper. This will make the ornament really firm and help get rid of the excess dish detergent. If there are any weak places in the ornament, you can always cover those spots with more glue. I had to do this for my ornament, and that made me decided to make it look more 3D with an extra layer of glue in different spots. Just be sure to let the second layer of glue dry completely before moving your ornament.

Step Four:

Gather your glitter, Mod Podge, and paint brush.

Cover your ornament with a layer of Mod Podge.

Cover with glitter.

I liked the glitter so much I decided to add another layer of a different type of glitter when the first layer dried. If you want to do the same, just repeat the steps you followed for the first layer of glitter.

Step Five:

This is the final step! Add a hanger to your ornament. I did this by making a loop from some jewelry wire I had sitting around the house. You could use string also. Just hot glue a loop of wire or string to the back of your ornament. Once again, make sure the glue is complete dry before moving your ornament.

I really appreciate Stephanie letting me share this tutorial with y’all. If you liked this project, I would love for you to come check out my other projects at Pitter&Glink. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

I got excited when I read this because I had all of the items I needed to do it today. So I did. I had a few notes. I struggled witht he soap on the wax paper. If I put it on thick it was too slippery for the glue and if it was thin the wax paper stuck to it. I ended up doing it thin since I was able to wash off the paper anyway. Also, when gluing, I found it was best to go from outside to the middle. One more thing, definitely make sure you don’t have any thin glue connections – 2 of my 8 didn’t work. Otherwise it was fairly easy and will make fun homemade gifts for Christmas. I thought it might be fun to make some halloween bats or pumpkins too with black and orange glitter.

I would recommend using Parchment paper instead of wax paper, it eliminates the need for dish detergent. The glue will easily peel off once dry and I have never had a problem with bits of paper sticking to it and you don’t need to wash it afterward.

I absolutely love this craft but have one question. How do you stop it from melting if you store it in the attic? Most people store their ornaments in an area that’s not climate controlled. Is there a way to stop it from melting? Still gonna try it though.Thanks,Kathy

To stop it from melting make sure to use high heat glue guns. I don’t think anyone’s attic will get so hot it would melt. Nice idea though, I love homemade ornaments and my kids would love decorating them once o make them. You could even glue beads, feathers and other thing on them to embellish them even more. Thanks for the idea…….

Do you think it would work without adding glitter? I’m not hating on the glitter, but if I made one for someone who wasn’t a glitter fan, can anyone think of any problems with making one and skipping the steps from the Mod Podge onward?

For the person that asked about leaving the glitter off…there are glue sticks out there that are pre mixed with glitter already in them. No they won’t have the same ‘fluffy’ glittery look, but they will shimmer. I best you could also brush them with Pearl-ex powder or even inexpensive shimmery eyeshadow!

There actually is a glue stick that has clear iridescent glitter in it but it definitely won’t give you the same effects as the loose glitter. A.C Moore sells them. They also come in metallic gold/silver or solid colors.

Thanks so much for this tutorial! I just made two, although they do use a lot of glue sticks, they are amazing! I just love it! A tip though, when doing it, try not to stop in the middle, like you said about continuous flow because it will start to pull the glue away from the paper while you’re doing the project! I can’t wait to make more! I think I am going to make a pumpkin for halloween 🙂

I did this ornament with my 13 year old daughter today and we loved it! 🙂 One thing I changed was the wax paper. We didn’t have any in the house but I know that hot glue doesn’t stick to our glass dining room table. So, I taped the pattern to the underside of the table and glued straight on the table! It worked great and peeled off well. My daughter and I both enjoyed doing this project together! Thank You!

I think if you unwound a paper clip or used floral wire and laid that down on the drawn shape you wanted just on the long lines and then did the hot glue……but the floral wire may not be strong enuff depending on the size of the design

Thanks for the inspiration. Here’s what I did and it worked 100% of the time. Print a clip art image that is simple and size it about 4 inches. Put the picture under a piece of glass (use one from a picture frame – it won’t be damaged). Trace the image in glue. Sprinkle with glitter as you go. Repeat until the image is completely traced. Feel the bottom of the glass to check for the glue to be completely cool. Run the glass under a slow trickle of water. The snow flake will peel right off.

I love this idea, but have had some difficulty when trying to remove it from the waxed pape. i experimented with using a pane of glass (one from an 8×10 picture frame), and painted it with the dish soap. It worked like a charm! the pattern is super easy to see through the glass, and the snowflake peels off like a dream.

Could you send me the link to where you printed the snowflakes from.. I have searched and searched and searched, and the only ones I found cost money to get them.. thanks.. my email is [email protected]

I am trying this on parchment paper and a Silpat to see which turns out better. I plan to use a cross image with a swirly design inside it, to make ornaments for my mom’s white Easter tree. Thanks for the inspiration!

Thank you so very much for this wonderful idea! This makes a great gift, a fun projects for any age, and a sparkly addition to the tree! They are fun to hang from fishing line in the windows all winter long as well! Thank you so much again! 🙂

I love making these!! Posted pictures of a couple on my facebook & had some friends say they would pay me to make them some!! Like some of the other commenters I also used parchment paper – much easier than the wax paper & dish soap. Also, I don’t have a “local” craft store so I couldn’t get Mod Podge, but I used regular crafting glue & they still turned out great! My 2-year-old is a little to young to help with these this year, but next year he will have a ball helping with the glitter part! Thanks for the idea.

I just loved making these once I mastered an even “glue” flow. I happened to have a circle shaped glass trivet. I placed that on my Lazy Susan, then I could do 4 at a time and spin the work to suit. I did find it was better doing the side branches while the main stem was still hot, then any glue remnants from back tracking automatically blended into the work and I had no fine threads of glue to remove after. I used clear nail polish instead of Modge Podge and applied two coats of glitter for a denser coverage. I finished with a final coat of nail polish to seal in the glitter & reduce the mess. I also painted the backs with the nail polish as I have experienced hot glue discolouring in the past and these will be “hand me downs”, so I want them looking their best as long as possible. I am going the experiment with metallic spray paints next and then I also want to attempt a treble clef music note. The possibilities could be endless. Thank you again for such wonderful inspiration.

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